The “most beautiful gift” the Catholic Church and its members can give the world is a reason to live with hope, Pope Francis said.

The church must continue to stand for the dignity of all human life under the incoming Trump administration. That was the message from Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, chair of the bishops’ migration committee, and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, the bishops’ new pro-life committee chair, who both spoke with OSV News at the U.S. bishops’ November meeting.

The list of miracles that have taken place at the French Marian shrine in Lourdes now includes, for the first time, an English-speaking soldier-patient.

Russia’s war on Ukraine undermines global security, while standing to encourage nuclear proliferation, Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia told OSV News.

Pope Francis prayed that Advent would be a time of spiritual renewal to build up a civilization of love.

A Sister of Charity in northern Italy was placed under house arrest after a nearly four-month investigation by prosecutors revealed she allegedly used her prison ministry to connect local mafia bosses with inmates.

Three months after the murder of Juan López, a Honduran church worker and environmental activist whose death was publicly mourned by Pope Francis, the bishops of Latin America are raising awareness on attacks against those fighting for social justice in the continent.

Pope Francis and the country’s bishops in exile prayed for Nicaragua as the Central American country observed the Immaculate Conception of Mary amid persecution.

The U.S. bishops’ conference was among the groups that urged President Joe Biden on Dec. 9 to commute existing federal death sentences before President-elect Donald Trump, who has sought to expand the use of capital punishment, returns to the White House.

Theology should serve as a guiding companion for those seeking meaning and truth, particularly during life’s pivotal moments, Pope Francis said, calling on theologians and theology faculties to expand their outreach.